Each day, CollegeBasketballTalk brings you the “Pregame Shootaround,” which will be posted at 2 p.m. ET and lay out a preview for the slate of games that night. We’ll take a look at some key match-ups and important games, as well as make some predictions and point out what you need to watch for. Take a look below at today’s edition:

Note: The weekend editions of Pregame Shootaround will be published half an hour prior to tip-off of the day’s first game.

Game of the Day: No. 16 Creighton at Nebraska (8 PM)

Thursday’s schedule may be light, but that allows for even more attention to be given to this battle in Lincoln. Tim Miles’ Cornhuskers are 6-1 on the season (5-0 at home) and coming off of a solid win over USC on Monday, but the Bluejays are an entirely different animal. Greg McDermott’s team has little trouble scoring points, which means that Nebraska will have to be even better defensively tonight than they were on Monday.

The home team has won the last seven meetings in the series, with Creighton’s 50-48 win in 2004 being the last time the visitor came out on top. With Doug McDermott and Gregory Echenique leading the way inside the Bluejays will be a tough matchup for burly Nebraska center Andre Almeida, and guards such as Ray Gallegos and Dylan Talley will need to be at their best if the Huskers are to win.

Mick Cronin’s Bearcats had better not overlook the Trojans, who arrive at Fifth-Third Arena with a 7-3 record (2-0 Sun Belt). Steve Shields’ Trojans allowed 57.0 points per game in wins over Troy and ULM to begin Sun Belt play 2-0, and they’ve been one of the league’s best defensive teams in regards to both scoring and field goal percentage defense. Will Neighbour (12.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg), a preseason All-Sun Belt selection, leads the way offensively for UALR. The Trojans will have their hands full with Sean Kilpatrick, Cashmere Wright and the rest of the Bearcats, but if they can make this a half-court game UALR has a puncher’s chance.

Mid-Major Matchup of the Day: UCSB at No. 17 San Diego State (10 PM)

No San Diego State is not a mid-major, but with tonight’s slate why not show UCSB forward Alan Williams some love. Williams is averaging 16.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game for the Gauchos, who are 3-4 on the season (replacing Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally). If Williams can give SDSU fits in the paint (DeShawn Stephens will be a key figure for them) the Aztecs will be in for a battle. This game will also feature two solid freshman wings in San Diego State’s Winston Shepard and UCSB’s Taran Brown.

Five Things to Watch For

1) Freshman Kris Dunn won’t make his debut for Providence just yet but there is a chance that Bryce Cotton will be able to play as the Friars take on rival Rhode Island. Two depleted teams led by coaches many feel are capable of turning around the fortunes of these Ocean State programs.

2) Michael Carter-Williams was outstanding in Syracuse’s 84-48 blowout of Eastern Michigan, tallying 11 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. What can he do for an encore? Long Beach State’s Mike Caffey will offer up a challenge tonight.

3) Xavier looks to move to 7-1 on the season with a young Vanderbilt squad visiting the Cintas Center. Freshman Semaj Christon has been one of the best freshmen in the country to this point in the season, and the Musketeers have shown themselves to be better than expected in the aftermath of their many personnel issues.

4) One of the most underrated guards in the nation will be in action as Tennessee Tech hosts Green Bay. That player: Tennessee Tech senior Jud Dillard, who leads the Golden Eagles in scoring (20.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg) and is second on the team in assists (2.9 apg). While Isaiah Canaan and Kerron Johnson get the majority of the attention, Dillard will be a factor in the OVC Player of the Year race.

5) Cal State Fullerton looks to rebound from their tough loss at Washington on Sunday night when they host Cal State Bakersfield. With D.J. Seeley and Kwame Vaughn leading the way the Titans certainly are capable of doing so, but they’ve lost the last three games in the series (including two last season).